Zvezda Undone by Collapse in Their Strongest Asset

All eyes across European basketball were locked on the Belgrade Arena as the two cross-town rivals staged another derby thriller. Partizan secured their first Eternal Derby victory of the season, improving their head-to-head record to 6-3 against their fiercest adversaries.

Despite a spirited second-half fightback from Zvezda, the decisive blow was struck before the break, with Partizan taking what proved to be an insurmountable 14-point lead into halftime (52-38).

When squaring off against Partizan, priority number one is containing Carlik Jones and denying him any offensive rhythm. In Round 7 of Europe's top tier, the red-and-whites got their game plan all wrong.

Head coach Ibon Navarro opted to start Nick Weiler-Babb, yet assigned derby debutant Nikola Djurisic—rather than his lockdown defender—to guard Jones. The experiment backfired immediately.

It was not merely Djurisic who struggled; the entire defensive unit looked disjointed, even against a Partizan lineup featuring Alessandro Pajola, Nikola Tanaskovic, and Joffrey Lauvergne—players not primarily recognized for their offensive prowess.

Partizan poured it on from all angles, heavily dominating the paint. Zvezda guarded the perimeter as though facing an elite perimeter-shooting unit, leaving lanes open for easy inside finishes and fast-break opportunities that provided Joan Penarroya's squad with a massive boost in confidence.

The onslaught culminated late in the second quarter as the hosts converted on virtually every possession, heading into the locker room with 52 points—almost matching their complete game totals against Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce.

The visitors mounted a response in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter when Navarro paired David Kramer with Weiler-Babb, but it proved to be too little, too late. Zvezda had a window to mount a comeback, but the damage inflicted by conceding 52 first-half points was simply too steep.

There was no way back from that deficit.

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